Most direct marketers underestimate the selling power of testimonials — positive statements of facts made by a third party on behalf of your product or service.

Your prospects and customers expect you to say good things about yourself.

So, they tend to discount everything you say. But you add tremendous credibility to your claims when you get someone else to say it instead.

The five basic reasons people don’t buy from you:

There are five basic reasons people don’t buy from you: They lack trust, need, money, desire, or hurry.

Testimonials help you eliminate the most important of these reasons – having no trust.

The four types of testimonials:

Four major testimonials exist: customer, celebrity, expert, and implied. Let’s briefly discuss all four and see how you can use them in your advertising.

Testimonial #1 – Customer

Customer testimonials are the strongest. Prospects usually identify with people like themselves, and they believe what they say.

Here’s an example of a customer testimonial my ad agency received about a campaign we did and I’ve used as a testimonial: ‘’We are just 10 days into our response to the first mailing you have done for Triad, and already we have a better response than we have ever had from any previous promotion.’’

Testimonial #2 – Celebrity

Celebrity testimonials can also be powerful. First, celebrities have reputations to maintain, which adds to their credibility.

Secondly, some individuals want to be like celebrities, so they do what celebrities do or recommend. And, of course, celebrities have a massive social media following.

Here’s an example of a celebrity we used for one of our clients with basketball Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal:

Beyond the success of the testimonial was his social media followers.

Shaq told his 35 million social media followers about the significant upside potential for a bottled water company.

Testimonial #3: Expert

“Expert” testimonials are also very effective. Again, people believe what experts say.

Here’s an example of an expert testimonial for an investment gold client we have:

“Gold prices will break out of a tight trading range as inflation worries stroke demand. According to Goldman Sachs, gold has a significant upside potential of reaching up to $3,500.’’

Testimonial #4 – Implied

Implied testimonials do not directly refer to your product or service but to your general industry.

For example, if you’re selling a specific Korean car, an implied testimonial from Motor Trend might read, “We have found Korean cars to perform as well or better than Japanese cars.

The effective use of testimonials:

There are several steps to effectively using testimonials: obtaining them, selecting them, and using them.

It is amazing how many marketers discard valuable and often unsolicited customer testimonials. If you’re doing so – STOP! Save every testimonial you receive (we call it a “love note file’) and begin asking all your satisfied customers for them. However, make sure you get written permission to use them.

Celebrity and expert testimonials are not easy to come by. You’ll probably have to pay for celebrity testimonials. You may also have to pay for expert testimonials. If no experts freely recommend your products, you may have to have them evaluated to get their recommendations.

And, I usually use a star rating with the testimonial and create a powerful pre-head before the testimonial for skimmers. And use the picture/video of the testimonial.

How to select your testimonials:

It is very important to select the proper testimonials. Try unsolicited testimonials that your customers wrote or a video they made themselves. If necessary, you can write a testimonial and ask a customer to sign it.

You also want to use the longest, most specific, detailed testimonial possible. “I get 50% more work done with your software” is stronger than “I get more work done with your software.” “I increased my sales by $152,100 with your unique sales system” is better than “I increased my sales with your system.”

Don’t be too eager to edit testimonials. You want them to sound as real as possible. Written or video, mistakes are good. Also, if possible, use the customer’s full name or at least his or her initials.

How to use your testimonials:

You should use testimonials in your advertising efforts: landing page, digital ad, native ads, email, video ad, directional VSL… everything.

You can use them in many ways. For example, your entire ad or landing page can be nothing more than a page of testimonials.

Or you can mention them periodically in the body of your video or direct mail piece. It’s always a good idea to state a benefit of your product or service and then back it up with a testimonial.

For example, consider the following excerpt from a newsletter promotion we did:

“But he’s a man who simply knows how to make his subscribers A LOT OF MONEY!”

For example, subscriber U.W. of Florida says: ‘I’ve made over $11,000 in just a few weeks. This is so phenomenal that I can hardly believe it… For 10 years, I’ve tried all kinds of advisory letters but haven’t made any money. In fact, I’ve lost money [from them] … thank you indeed.

Separating them inside a box might draw special attention to your testimonials. You might also insert an entire page of testimonials with your advertising. For direct mail, an option is to create a lift note featuring testimonials.

Using testimonials in direct response television or video:

Your celebrity testimonials are most useful in direct-response TV ads or videos. Marketers find that celebrity testimonials can increase response by 30% or more when used correctly.

But be warned. If you pick the wrong celebrity—one whose image does not match your product or service—you could be in for trouble. Be sure your celebrity is a believable endorser of your product or service.

When using customer testimonials in direct response television, don’t be afraid to choose people who look like “real” people.

We have repeatedly found that beautiful people who give a polished performance do not test well with audiences, as testimonials are given by someone who looks like Bob or Sue from next door and seems a little uncomfortable in front of the camera or shot on the iPhone. They ultimately come across as giving a more believable and trusted testimonial.

Testimonials are so powerful and so underused. Put them to work today and watch your business grow.

Need help using results properly and achieving powerful marketing? Call Michael at 615-933-4647 or email him at [email protected].

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